Saturday, February 18, 2017

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #206

Hi, everyone !!

Yet again, things have been relatively quiet, in terms of both Roku-specific and Roku-related news, in the last seven days... but, despite amounting to only half the number of apps that were released in the previous week, the same can (thankfully) not be said of the new additions to the Roku Channel Store. As I did with my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post, I'm going to (once more) ask you to refer back to the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels for details of any Roku-related news, as well as some special offers which may be of interest. In addition to that, I also posted details of the access codes for more private channels (available in all regions) among the other Roku-related bits and pieces that were shared via Twitter... so it's worth looking back over my recent tweets for some extra treats! ;-)

Anyway, we kick things off this time around with another channel that, despite being new to UK Roku devices, is not listed in the "New" category (i.e. genre) of the Roku UK Channel Store. As I've said before, I love discovering apps like this... because they illustrate precisely why it's worth reading the 'Weekly RoundUp' posts on this blog. Any Roku users who simply rely on whatever they see listed under the "New" category in the built-in channel store of their streaming media players (for identifying the latest additions to UK Roku devices) risk missing-out on channels like this altogether. Other websites offering Roku channel listings base their contents on the Roku USA Channel Store, which means they also include apps that are unavailable to Roku UK users. So, if you really want to know what's available to UK Roku users channel-wise... be sure to read this blog every week! ;-) :-)

Before I run through the list of new channels... a brief reminder that UK Roku users are still subject to restrictions (imposed by Roku) and (bizarrely) remain unable to access the channel descriptions from the web store on the Roku (USA) website. That said, the majority of text in those web listings can also be found within the individual descriptions from the built-in "Channel Store" (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the main menu) on all Roku devices and, together with the associated screenshots (where available), should give a pretty good indication of what those channels are about.

My advice to any UK-based readers of this blog is to ignore the links below (and to the left of) each channel icon shown below and (instead) rely on the link to the right (below each channel icon) which (where available) will redirect you to an 'Roku Guide' review for additional details on each channel. As it stands, the links below (and to the left of) each icon are (currently) only of use to readers of this blog from the USA. This means that Roku users from the other "supported" regions of the world (i.e. Ireland, Canada, France and Mexico) are, like those of us in the UK, unable to browse the Roku Web Channel Store - which for now (at least) remains an exclusive privilege of Roku users in the USA. :-(

Hopefully Roku will (one day) wake-up to the fact that improving the experience for users in "other" Roku "regions" is just as important as it is for those who buy & use their products in the U.S. and denying access to the Roku website does not help the end-user experience for those of us (outside the USA) who wish to browse the web channel store. Meanwhile, that which Roku (apparently) doesn't want UK Roku users to see on their website (i.e. the list of new channels) is regularly summarised on this blog in my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all the new Roku channels which were released between 12th and 18th February 2017:-

PLEASE NOTE:- That, since this "TJC" channel for Roku streaming devices is not (yet?) available in the Roku USA Channel Store, there is no web channel store description on the Roku website... which means that clicking on the link provided above will (instead) redirect you to the official UK website of 'The Jewellery Channel' from where further information can be obtained. Should you have any questions, comments, or suggestions pertaining to the new 'TJC' channel on UK Roku devices, or other aspects of their business, I'm sure that 'The Jewellery Channel' will be only too pleased to hear from you. Those wishing to connect with them via social media can do so easily via their official Twitter Feed: @TJCSHOPPING or else, their FB page, at:- The Jewellery Channel (Facebook) ;-)

ALSO:- For similar reasons to those given for the lack of a web channel store description, there is also (currently) no active link to any 'Roku Guide' review of the "TJC" channel. Furthermore, as there is already a sister channel called "ShopLC" available for Roku devices in the USA, it is unlikely that we will ever see an 'Roku Guide' review of the (currently) UK-only "TJC" channel for Roku devices. Those wishing to read a 'Roku Guide' review of the "ShopLC" channel, as found on Roku devices in North America, will find the article posted on their website alongside other releases from this week.

PLEASE NOTE:- That, for some (as yet) unknown reason, this "Truth for Life - Alistair Begg" app for Roku devices appears to have escaped the attention of the folks at 'Roku Guide' so, consequently, there is (currently) no active link to an 'Roku Guide' review of this channel. However, those of you wishing to know more about the bible-teaching ministry from Alistair Begg (or find additional links for further information) can always read an earlier 'Roku Guide' review pertaining to a slightly older version of the channel, called "Truth for Life", which was released sometime around January 2015. Meanwhile, if an 'Roku Guide' review of the current version should happen to be published in future, we will endeavour to add the "missing" link to this article once any details are made known to us. :-)